System for the coexistence between a plurality of wireless communications modules sharing single antenna

ABSTRACT

A system for the coexistence between a plurality of wireless communication modules sharing a single antenna includes an antenna, first and second transceiving paths, and first and second wireless communications modules. The first wireless communications module is coupled to a first transceiving path and transmits or receives first wireless signals via the first transceiving path. The second wireless communications module is coupled to the second transceiving path and transmits and receives second wireless signals via the first and the second transceiving paths, wherein signal strengths of the second wireless signals passing through the second transceiving path are attenuated by a certain level, and the attenuated second wireless signals are added to the first wireless signals when passing through the first transceiving path, wherein one of the first and the second communications module is a LTE module and the other one is a WLAN module.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No.12/696,154, filed on Jan. 29, 2010, which claims the priority of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/224,107, filed on Jul. 9, 2009, theentireties of which are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to a system for the coexistence betweena plurality of wireless communications modules, and more particularly,to a system for the coexistence between a plurality of wirelesscommunications modules sharing a single antenna.

2. Description of the Related Art

As shown in FIG. 1, a cellular phone may connect to a wireless localarea network (WLAN) via a WLAN module thereof and simultaneouslycommunicate with a BLUETOOTH handset (or a BLUETOOTH car audio, orothers) through a BLUETOOTH module thereof. WLAN is typicallyimplemented as an extension to wired local area networks (LANs) inside abuilding and is able to provide the last few meters of connectivitybetween a wired network and mobile or fixed devices. WLAN is based onthe IEEE 802.11 standard. Most WLAN may operate in the 2.4 GHzlicense-free frequency band and have throughput rates of up to 2 Mbps.The 802.11b standard introduces direct sequence mechanism and providesthroughput rates of up to 11 Mbps. The 802.11g standard operates at amaximum raw data rate of 54 Mbps, or about 19 Mbps net throughput. Asshown in FIG. 1, an access point (AP) is connected to a LAN by anEthernet cable. The AP typically receives, buffers, and transmits databetween the WLAN and the wired network infrastructure. The AP maysupport, on average, twenty devices and have a coverage varying from 20meters in an area with obstacles (walls, stairways, elevators etc) andup to 100 meters in an area with clear line of sight. BLUETOOTH is anopen wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances fromfixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks (PANs). Voiceover internet protocol (VoIP) data from the Internet may be receivedthrough WLAN connection and vice versa. A cellular phone may transmitvoice data through an established PAN to the BLUETOOTH handset andreceive speech signals captured by a microphone of the BLUETOOTH handsetvia the BLUETOOTH module. The cellular phone may transmit digital musicthrough the established PAN to be played back in the BLUETOOTH handset.WLAN and BLUETOOTH both occupy a section of the 2.4 GHz Industrial,Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band, which is 83 MHz-wide. In light ofcost issues as well as space used for component placement, modernelectronic devices, such as cellular phones, Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPCs) orothers, are equipped with WLAN and BLUETOOTH modules sharing a singleantenna instead of multiple antennas.

Referring to FIG. 2, for example, BLUETOOTH uses Frequency HoppingSpread Spectrum (FHSS) and is allowed to hop between 79 different 1MHz-wide channels in a BLUETOOTH spectrum. WLAN uses Direct SequenceSpread Spectrum (DSSS) instead of FHSS. Its carrier remains centered onone channel, which is 22 MHz-wide. When the WLAN module and theBLUETOOTH module are operating simultaneously in the same area, as shownin FIG. 1, the single WLAN channel, which is 22 MHz-wide, occupies thesame frequency space as 22 out of 79 BLUETOOTH channels which are 1MHz-wide. When a BLUETOOTH transmission occurs on a frequency band thatfalls within the frequency space occupied by an ongoing WLANtransmission, a certain level of interference may occur, depending onthe signal strength thereof. Due to the fact that the WLAN module andBLUETOOTH module share the same spectrum and also share a singleantenna, avoiding interference therebetween is required.

FIG. 3 shows a diagram illustrating an operation conflict which mayoccur between a WLAN and a BLUETOOTH wireless communication servicesharing a single antenna. In FIG. 3, the shared single antenna isswitched between the WLAN and BLUETOOTH wireless communication servicesin a given time slot for transceiving data. Because the BLUETOOTHwireless communication service carries the audio data that requiresreal-time transmission, the BLUETOOTH wireless communication service hasa higher priority over the WLAN wireless communication service. When aWLAN transceiving process takes place at the same time as a BLUETOOTHtransceiving process, the WLAN transceiving process will be damaged.Referring to FIG. 3 again, the WLAN receiving operation (Rx operation)30 occurs at a time slot when the BLUETOOTH wireless communicationservice remains idle. Therefore, the Rx operation 30 is performedwithout interference and an acknowledgement (ACK) message 31 is sent tothe WLAN AP (such as the AP in FIG. 1) as a reply message after the Rxoperation 30 is finished. Following the Rx operation 30, another WLAN Rxoperation 32 occurs. The Rx operation 32 is also performed withoutinterference because the BLUETOOTH wireless communication service is inthe idle state. However, an ACK message 33 in response to the Rxoperation 32 can not be replied to the WLAN AP, as the ACK message 33will occupy the same time slot of a BLUETOOTH transmitting operation (Txoperation). In this case, the Rx operation 32 would be deemed as failed.In light of the failure, the WLAN AP would re-perform the Rx operation32 with a lower rate in an attempt to successfully receive the ACKmessage. However, the re-performed Rx operation 32 (denoted as 34),which has a prolonged operation period, will be more likely to overlapwith the BLUETOOTH transceiving time slot. This causes a further retryof the Rx operation 32, leading to a further decrement of the WLANthroughput. The performance degradation is caused by the inability ofoperating the WLAN and BLUETOOTH wireless communication services with asingle antenna at the same time.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the previously described problems, there exists a need for asystem, in which a plurality of wireless communication services mayshare a single antenna for simultaneous operations.

An embodiment of the invention discloses a system for the coexistencebetween a plurality of wireless communication modules sharing a singleantenna, comprising an antenna, a first transceiving path, a secondtransceiving path, a first wireless communications module and a secondwireless communications module. The first transceiving path is coupledto the antenna. The second transceiving path is coupled to the firsttransceiving path. The first wireless communications module is coupledto the first transceiving path and transmits or receives a plurality offirst wireless signals via the first transceiving path. The secondwireless communications module is coupled to the second transceivingpath and transmits and receives a plurality of second wireless signalsvia the first and second transceiving paths, wherein signal strengths ofthe second wireless signals passing through the second transceiving pathare attenuated by a certain level, and the attenuated second wirelesssignals are added to the first wireless signals when passing through thefirst transceiving path, wherein one of the first wirelesscommunications module and the second communications module is LTE moduleand the other one of the first wireless communications module and thesecond communications module is WLAN module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequentdetailed description and examples with references made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a cellular phone associating a WLAN via a WLAN modulethereof as well as communicating with a BLUETOOTH handset through aBLUETOOTH module thereof;

FIG. 2 shows a diagram of BLUETOOTH frequency Hopping;

FIG. 3 shows a diagram illustrating an operation conflict between a WLANand a BLUETOOTH wireless communication services sharing a singleantenna;

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a system for coexistence between a WLANmodule and a BLUETOOTH module sharing a single antenna;

FIG. 5A shows a configuration of a switching device according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5B shows a configuration of a switching device according to anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 yet shows a configuration of a switching device according toanother embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7A shows a connection device implemented using an attenuatoraccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7B shows a connection device implemented using a directionalcoupler according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7C shows a connection device implemented using a divider accordingto an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8A shows a configuration of a connection device according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8B yet shows a configuration of a connection device according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 9A˜9B show flowcharts for handling coexistence between WLAN andBLUETOOTH modules performed by the controller, according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10A shows a diagram illustrating a first case of possible WALN andBLUETOOTH operations within a time slot according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 10B shows a diagram illustrating a second case of possible WALN andBLUETOOTH operations within a time slot according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 10C shows a diagram illustrating a third case of possible WALN andBLUETOOTH operations within a time slot according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 10D shows a diagram illustrating a fourth case of possible WALN andBLUETOOTH operations within a time slot according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 10E shows a diagram illustrating a fifth case of possible WALN andBLUETOOTH operations within a time slot according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 11 shows another embodiment of a system for coexistence between aWLAN module and a BLUETOOTH module sharing a single antenna;

FIGS. 12A˜12C show flowcharts for handling coexistence between WLAN andBLUETOOTH modules performed by the controller, according to anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of a system for coexistence between aWLAN module and a BLUETOOTH module sharing a single antenna;

FIG. 14A shows a configuration of a directional coupler according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14B yet shows a configuration of a directional coupler according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14C yet shows a configuration of a directional coupler according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14D yet shows a configuration of a directional coupler according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 15A˜15C show flowcharts for handling coexistence between WLAN andBLUETOOTH modules performed by the controller, according to anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16 shows another embodiment of a system for coexistence between aWLAN module and a BLUETOOTH module sharing a single antenna;

FIGS. 17A˜17E show flowcharts for handling coexistence between WLAN andBLUETOOTH modules performed by the controller, according to anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 18 shows a diagram of a cellular phone connecting to a WLAN via aWLAN module as well as camping on a WiMAX base station through a WiMAXmodule;

FIG. 19 shows a system for coexistence between a WLAN module and a WiMAXmodule sharing a single antenna according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 20 shows a system for coexistence between a WLAN module and a WiMAXmodule sharing a single antenna according to another embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 21 shows a system for coexistence between a BLUETOOTH module and aWiMAX module sharing a single antenna according to another embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 22 shows a system for coexistence between a BLUETOOTH module and aWiMAX module sharing a single antenna according to another embodiment ofthen invention; and

FIG. 23 shows a system for coexistence between a Global PositioningSystem (GPS) and a subsystem sharing a single antenna according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 24 shows a system for coexistence between a WLAN module and a LTEmodule sharing a single antenna according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 25 shows a system for coexistence between a WLAN module and a LTEmodule sharing a single antenna according to another embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is of the best-contemplated mode of carryingout the invention. This description is made for the purpose ofillustrating the general principles of the invention and should not betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determinedby reference to the appended claims.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a system for coexistence between a WLANmodule and a BLUETOOTH module sharing a single antenna. The system 400comprises an antenna 402, switching devices 404 and 406, a connectiondevice 408, a WLAN module 410, a BLUETOOTH module 412 and a controller414. The controller 414 may operate as a packet traffic arbitrator (PTA)controller to receive BLUETOOTH traffic requests (labeled as BT_Req) andWLAN traffic requests (labeled as WLAN_Req) and determine whether aBLUETOOTH traffic request BT_Req has collided with a WLAN trafficrequest WLAN_Req within a time period. If a collision occurs, the PTAcontroller 414 may grant both of the requests or may grant only one ofthe requests while rejecting the other, depending on frequency bands,priorities, operation types (e.g. Tx/Rx operation), power levels orothers. The PTA controller 414 then accordingly controls the switchingdevice 404 and 406 by control signals (labeled as First_Ctrl andSecond_Ctrl) to enable one or both of the WLAN module 410 and BLUETOOTHmodule 412 to transmit or receive data via the shared antenna 402. Thecontroller 414 may alternatively act as a traffic scheduler to collectBLUETOOTH schedules (labeled as BT_Sched) specifying BLUETOOTH Tx/Rxoperations and WLAN schedules (labeled as WLAN_Sched) specifying WLANTx/Rx operations in a forthcoming time period, discover all fractionaltime periods having both BLUETOOTH and WLAN operations (also calledcollided time periods) and may cancel one of the BLUETOOTH and WLANoperations in the discovered time periods according to priorities,operation types, power levels or others. The traffic scheduler 414 thenaccordingly controls the switching device 404 and 406 by control signals(labeled as First_Ctrl and Second_Ctrl) to enable one or both of theWLAN module 410 and BLUETOOTH module 412 to transmit or receive data viathe shared antenna 402. Collision between upcoming BLUETOOTH and WLANoperations means that the operations are fully or partially overlappedwith each other in a future time period. It is to be understood that thecontroller 414 may be integrated into the BLUETOOTH module 412 or theWLAN module 410 to reduce hardware cost.

The switching device 404, which consists of at least three terminals 50,52 and 54 as shown in FIG. 5A or 5B, is configured to connect theterminal 50 to the terminal 52 or 54, as controlled by the controller414. The switching device 406, which consists of four terminals 60, 62,64 and 66 as shown in FIG. 6, is configured to connect the terminal 64to the terminal 60 or 62, or connect the terminal 66 to the terminal 60and 62, as controlled by the controller 414. The connection device 408,which consists of three terminals 70, 72 and 74 as shown in FIG. 7A, isconfigured to connect the terminals 70 and 72 to form a transceivingpath (through path), and connect the terminals 70 and 74 to form anothertransceiving path (coupled path), wherein the terminal 72 is isolatedfrom the terminal 74 by substantially 20 dB, in which electrical signalspassing through the path between terminals 70 and 72 are substantiallyattenuated by 6 or 10 dB. The switching devices 404 and 406, connectiondevice 408, WLAN module 410, BLUETOOTH module 412 and controller 414 maybe disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB). As shown in FIG. 5A, theswitching device 404 may be implemented by a single-pole double-thrown(SPDT). Referring to FIG. 5B, the switching device 404 may bealternatively implemented by a double-pole double-thrown (DPDT) switchwith a terminal 56 coupled to or connected to an external node forimpedance matching. The external node may be another antenna or aresistor (for example, a 50Ω resistor). In addition, the switchingdevice 406 may be implemented by a DPDT switch as shown in FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 7A again, the connection device 408 may contain anattenuator attenuating electrical signals passing through the terminals70 and 74 by 20 dB. Referring to FIG. 7B, the connection device 408 mayalternatively contain a directional coupler, in which the terminals 70and 72 are connected as a through path, terminal 74 and an external node76 are connected as a through path, terminals 70 and 74 are coupled as acoupled path and terminals 72 and 74 are isolated, with an isolationloss of around 20-40 dB, wherein the through path is a direct orindirect through path and the external node may be connected to aresistor (for example, a 50Ω resistor). Note that the through pathbetween terminals 70 and 72 may have a path loss between 0.6 dB and 0.8dB substantially, whereas the coupled path between terminals 70 and 74may have a path loss between 9.5 dB and 10.5 dB substantially. Or, thethrough path between terminals 70 and 72 may have a path loss between1.1 dB and 1.4 dB substantially, whereas the coupled path betweenterminals 70 and 74 may have a path loss between 5.7 dB and 6.3 dBsubstantially.

Referring to FIG. 8A, by using two transmission lines set sufficientlyclose together such that electrical signals (or energy) directed fromthe terminal 70 (connected to a port called an input port) to theterminal 72 (connected to a port called a transmitted port) is coupledto the terminal 74 (connected to a port called a coupled port).Referring to FIG. 8B, similarly, electrical signals (or energy) directedfrom the terminals 74 (connected to a port called an input port) to atransmitted port (such as port 76 in FIG. 7B) is coupled to the terminal70 (connected to a port called a coupled port) and isolated from theterminal 72 (connected to a port called an isolated port), such that thecoupled signals can be added to the electrical signals passing throughthe terminals 72 to 70.

As stated above, the connection device 408 may contain an attenuator(FIG. 7A) or a directional coupler (FIG. 7B). Alternatively, theconnection device 408 may contain a power divider, as shown in FIG. 7C.In FIG. 7C, the terminals 72 and 74 are isolated and both ideally have aloss of 3 dB (3.5 dB in practice). Alternatively, the connection device408 may contain a power splitter. The structure of the power splitter issimilar to the power divider, but with different losses occurringbetween the output ports. For a power splitter, referring to FIG. 7C,the losses of terminals 72 and 74 are different. For example, theterminal 72 may have a loss of 10 dB, whereas the terminal 74 may have aloss of 0.5 dB, or the terminal 72 may have a loss of 6 dB, whereas theterminal 74 may have a loss of 1 dB. Alternatively, the connectiondevice 408 may be implemented by a PCB pad with an input port and twooutput ports, in which one of the output ports has a loss of NdB andanother output port has a loss of 1 dB or smaller, as designed based onrequirement. Note the power splitter may be implemented using adirectional coupler, such as the one of FIG. 7B, with the terminal 76connected to a resistor for impedance matching and terminals 72 and 74being isolated. With the power splitter implemented using a directionalcoupler as shown in FIG. 7B, the terminal 72 may have a loss of 10 dB,whereas the terminal 74 may have a loss of 0.5 dB, or the terminal 72may have a loss of 6 dB, whereas the terminal 74 may have a loss of 1dB.

Table 1 shows a combination of potential operations performed by theWLAN module 410 and the BLUETOOTH module 412, according to the system400 of FIG. 4:

TABLE 1 Operation Type Case Type WLAN_Tx WLAN_Rx BT_Tx/BT_Rx Case 1 0 00 Case 2 0 0 1 Case 3 0 1 0 Case 4 0 1 1 Case 5 1 0 0 Case 6 1 0 1 Case7 1 1 0 Case 8 1 1 1

In Table 1 above, “1” means TRUE, representing the existence of acorresponding operation, whereas “0” means FALSE, representing theabsence of a corresponding operation. The situation for case 1 will notbe discussed, as no operation exists. The cases 7 and 8, where the WLANmodule 410 performs Tx and Rx operations simultaneously, is notpermitted and therefore not discussed. The above cases will be discussedwith references made to the flowcharts as shown in FIGS. 9A˜9B.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show a flowchart for handling coexistence between WLANand BLUETOOTH modules performed by the controller, according to anembodiment of the invention. The procedure begins at obtaininginformation regarding potential operation(s) that is/are going to beperformed by the WLAN module 410 and BLUETOOTH module 412 in aforthcoming time period, which has/have been granted or scheduled by thecontroller 414. Subsequently, a series of inspections with respect tothe obtained information are accordingly performed to determine whetheronly one or both of the WLAN module 410 and BLUETOOTH module 412 occupythe time period, and determine whether the time period is occupied for aTx and/or an Rx operation. Specifically, the information regardingpotential operation(s) that is/are going to be performed by the WLANmodule 410 and BLUETOOTH module 412 in a forthcoming time period isobtained (step S900). Next, it is determined whether only the BLUETOOTHmodule 412 occupies the time period for an operation (Tx/Rx operation)(step S902). If so, the controller 414 directs the first switchingdevice 404 to connect the terminals 50 and 54 for the time period asshown in FIG. 10A (case 2) (step S904), thereby enabling the BLUETOOTHRx signals to be received by the BLUETOOTH module 412 from the singleantenna 402 through terminals 50, 54, 70 and 72 in sequence, or enablingthe BLUETOOTH Tx signals to be transmitted from the BLUETOOTH module 412through terminals 72, 70, 54 and 50 in sequence to the single antenna402. Subsequent to step S902, if not, it is determined whether only theWLAN module 410 occupies the time period for a Tx operation (step S906).If so, the controller 414 directs the first switching device 404 toconnect the terminals 50 and 52 and directs the second switching device406 to connect the terminals 60 and 64 for the time period as shown inFIG. 10B (case 5) (step S908), thereby enabling the WLAN Tx signals tobe transmitted from the WLAN module 410 through terminals 64, 60, 52 and50 in sequence to the single antenna 402. Subsequent to step S906, ifnot, it is determined whether only the WLAN module 410 occupies the timeperiod for an Rx operation (step S910). If so, the controller 414directs the first switching device 404 to connect the terminals 50 and52 and directs the second switching device 406 to connect the terminals60 and 66 for the time period as shown in FIG. 10C (case 3) (step S912),thereby enabling the WLAN Rx signals to be received by the WLAN module410 from the single antenna 402 through terminals 50, 52, 60 and 66 insequence. Subsequent to step S910, if not, it is determined whether theWLAN module 410 occupies the time period for a Tx operation (step S914).If so, the controller 414 directs the first switching device 404 toconnect the terminals 50 and 54 and directs the second switching device406 to connect the terminals 62 and 64 for the time period when the timeperiod is occupied by the WLAN module 410 and BLUETOOTH module 412 for aBLUETOOTH Rx or Tx operation as well as a WLAN Tx operation as shown inFIG. 10D (case 6) (step S916), thereby enabling the WLAN Tx signals tobe transmitted with a certain level of signal strength attenuationthrough terminals 64, 62, 74, 70, 54 and 50 in sequence from the WLANmodule 410 to the antenna 402, and enabling the BLUETOOTH Rx signals tobe received by the BLUETOOTH module 412 from the antenna 402 throughterminals 50, 54, 70 and 72 in sequence, or the BLUETOOTH Tx signals tobe transmitted from the BLUETOOTH module 412 through terminals 72, 70,54 and 50 in sequence to the antenna 402. Subsequent to step S914, ifnot, it is determined whether the WLAN module 410 occupies the timeperiod for an Rx operation (step S918). If so, the controller 414directs the first switching device 404 to connect the terminals 50 and54 and directs the second switching device 406 to connect the terminals62 and 66 for the time period when the time period is occupied by boththe WLAN module 410 and BLUETOOTH module 412 for a BLUETOOTH Rx or Txoperation as well as a WLAN Rx operation as shown in FIG. 10E (case 4)(step S920), thereby enabling the WLAN Rx signals to be received by theWLAN module 410 with a certain level of signal strength attenuationthrough terminals 50, 54, 70, 74, 62 and 66 in sequence from the antenna402, and enabling the BLUETOOTH Rx signals to be received by theBLUETOOTH module 412 from the antenna 402 through terminals 50, 54, 70and 72 in sequence, or the BLUETOOTH Tx signals to be transmitted fromthe BLUETOOTH module 412 through terminals 72, 70, 54 and 50 in sequenceto the antenna 402.

With the system 400 of FIG. 4, those skilled in the art may readilymodify the hardware architecture thereof by separating the integratedport (labeled as BT_TRx of FIG. 4) into two ports (labeled as BT_Tx andBT_Rx) and disposing a switching device 416 between the connectiondevice 408 and the BLUETOOTH Module 412 for connecting a terminal 110 toa terminal 112 or 114 depending on the BLUETOOTH operation type (e.g. aBLUETOOTH Tx or Rx operation), as the system 1100 shown in FIG. 11. Theswitching device 416 may be implemented by an SPDT switch. Thecontroller 414 then controls three switching devices 404, 406 and 416 bycontrol signals (labeled as First_Ctrl, Second_Ctrl and Third_Ctrl) toenable the WLAN module 410 and BLUETOOTH module 412 to transmit orreceive data via the shared antenna 402.

Table 2 shows a combination of potential operations performed by theWLAN module 410 and the BLUETOOTH module 412, according to the system1100 of FIG. 11:

TABLE 2 Operation Type Case Type WLAN_Tx WLAN_Rx BT_Tx BT_Rx Case 1 0 00 0 Case 2 0 0 0 1 Case 3 0 0 1 0 Case 4 0 0 1 1 Case 5 0 1 0 0 Case 6 01 0 1 Case 7 0 1 1 0 Case 8 0 1 1 1 Case 9 1 0 0 0 Case 10 1 0 0 1 Case11 1 0 1 0 Case 12 1 0 1 1 Case 13 1 1 0 0 Case 14 1 1 0 1 Case 15 1 1 10 Case 16 1 1 1 1

In Table 2 above, case 1 is not discussed as no operation exists. Thecases 13 to 16, where the WLAN module 410 performs Tx and Rx operationssimultaneously, is not permitted in the system 1100 and therefore notdiscussed. Based on the same reason, the cases 4, 8 and 12, where theBLUETOOTH module 412 performs Tx and Rx operations simultaneously, arealso not discussed. The other cases will be discussed with referencesmade to the flowcharts in FIGS. 12A˜12C.

According to the modified architecture shown in FIG. 11, those skilledin the art may readily modify the control flow of FIGS. 9A and 9B tothat of FIGS. 12A to 12C by incorporating more inspections and controlswith respect to the newly added switching device 416. In FIGS. 12A˜12C,the procedure begins at obtaining information regarding potentialoperation(s) that is/are going to be performed by the WLAN module 410and BLUETOOTH module 412 in a forthcoming time period, which has/havebeen granted or scheduled by the controller 414 (step S1200). Next, itis determined whether only the BLUETOOTH module 412 occupies the timeperiod for a Tx operation (step S1202). If so, the controller 414directs the switching device 404 to connect the terminals 50 and 54 anddirects the third switching device 416 to connect the terminals 110 and112 for the time period when the time period is occupied by only theBLUETOOTH module 412 for a Tx operation (case 3) (step S1204), therebyenabling the Tx signals to be transmitted from the BLUETOOTH module 412through terminals 112, 110, 72, 70, 54 and 50 in sequence to the sharedantenna 402. Subsequent to step 1202, if not, it is determined whetheronly the BLUETOOTH module 412 occupies the time period for an Rxoperation (step S1206). If so, the controller 414 directs the switchingdevice 404 to connect the terminals 50 and 54 and directs the switchingdevice 416 to connect terminals 110 and 114 for the time period when thetime period is occupied by only the BLUETOOTH module 412 for an Rxoperation (case 2) (step S1208), thereby enabling the BLUETOOTH Rxsignals to be received by the BLUETOOTH module 412 from the sharedantenna 402 through terminals 50, 54, 70, 72, 110 and 114 in sequence.Subsequent to step 1206, if not, it is determined whether only WLANmodule 410 occupies the time period for a Tx operation (step S1210). Ifso, the controller 414 directs the switching device 404 to connect theterminals 50 and 52 and directs the switching device 406 to connect theterminals 60 and 64 for the time period when the time period is occupiedby only WLAN module 410 for a Tx operation (case 9) (step S1212),thereby enabling the WLAN Tx signals to be transmitted from the WLANmodule 410 through terminals 64, 60, 52 and 50 in sequence to the sharedantenna 402. Subsequent to step 1210, if not, it is determined whetheronly WLAN module 410 occupies the time period for an Rx operation (stepS1214). If so, the controller 414 directs the switching device 404 toconnect the terminals 50 and 52 and directs the switching device 406 toconnect the terminals 60 and 66 for the time period when the time periodis occupied by only WLAN module 410 for an Rx operation (case 5) (stepS1216), thereby enabling the WLAN Rx signals to be received by the WLANmodule 410 from the shared antenna 402 through terminals 50, 52, 60 and66 in sequence. Subsequent to step 1214, if not, it is determinedwhether both the WLAN module 410 and the BLUETOOTH module 412 occupy thetime period for the Tx operations (step S1218). If so, the controller414 directs the switching device 404 to connect the terminals 50 and 54,directs the switching device 406 to connect the terminals 62 and 64, anddirects the switching device 416 to connect the terminals 110 and 112for the time period when the time period is occupied by the BLUETOOTHmodule 412 for a BLUETOOTH Tx operation and the WLAN modules 410 for aWLAN Tx operation (case 11) (step S1220), thereby enabling the WLAN Txsignals to be transmitted with a certain level of signal strengthattenuation through terminals 64, 62, 74, 70, 54 and 50 in sequence fromthe WLAN module 410 to the shard antenna 402, and enabling the BLUETOOTHTx signals to be transmitted from the BLUETOOTH module 412 throughterminals 112, 110, 72, 70, 54 and 50 in sequence to the antenna 402.Subsequent to step 1218, if not, it is determined whether the WLANmodule 410 and the BLUETOOTH module 412 occupy the time period for theTx and Rx operations, respectively (step S1222). If so, the controller414 directs the switching device 404 to connect the terminals 50 and 54,directs the switching device 406 to connect the terminals 62 and 64, anddirects the switching device 416 to connect the terminals 110 and 114for the time period when the time period is occupied by the WLAN module410 for a WLAN Tx operation and the BLUETOOTH module 412 for a BLUETOOTHRx operation (case 10) (step S1224), thereby enabling the WLAN Txsignals to be transmitted with a certain level of signal strengthattenuation through terminals 64, 62, 74, 70, 54 and 50 in sequence fromthe WLAN module 410 to the shared antenna 402, and enabling theBLUETOOTH Rx signals to be received by the BLUETOOTH module 412 from theshared antenna 402 through terminals 50, 54, 70, 72, 110 and 114 insequence. Subsequent to step 1222, if not, it is determined whether boththe WLAN module 410 and the BLUETOOTH module 412 occupy the time periodfor Rx operations (step S1226). If so, the controller 414 directs theswitching device 404 to connect the terminals 50 and 54, directs thesecond switching device 406 to connect the terminals 62 and 66, anddirects the third switching device 416 to connect the terminals 110 and114 for the time period when the time period is occupied by the WLANmodule 410 for a WLAN Rx operation and the BLUETOOTH module 412 for aBLUETOOTH Rx operation (case 6) (step S1228), thereby enabling the WLANRx signals to be received by the WLAN module 410 with a certain level ofsignal strength attenuation through terminals 50, 54, 70, 74, 62 and 66in sequence from the shared antenna 402, and enabling the BLUETOOTH Rxsignals to be received by the BLUETOOTH module 412 from the sharedantenna 402 through terminals 50, 54, 70, 72, 110 and 114 in sequencefrom the shared antenna 402. Subsequent to step 1226, if not, it isdetermined whether the WLAN module 410 and the BLUETOOTH module 412occupy the time period for Rx and Tx operations, respectively (stepS1230). If so, the controller 414 directs the switching device 404 toconnect the terminals 50 and 54, directs the switching device 406 toconnect the terminals 62 and 66, and directs the switching device 416 toconnect the terminals 110 and 112 for the time period when the timeperiod is occupied by the WLAN module 410 for a WLAN Rx operation andthe BLUETOOTH module 412 for a BLUETOOTH Tx operation (case 7) (stepS1232), thereby enabling the WLAN Rx signals to be received by the WLANmodule 410 with a certain level of signal strength attenuation throughterminals 50, 54, 70, 74, 62 and 66 in sequence from the shared antenna402, and enabling the BLUETOOTH Tx signals to be transmitted from theBLUETOOTH module 412 through terminals 112, 110, 72, 70, 54 and 50 insequence to the shared antenna 402.

FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of a system for coexistence between aWLAN module and a BLUETOOTH module sharing a single antenna. Similar tothe system 400 of FIG. 4, the system 1300 herein comprises an antenna402, a switching device 404, a WLAN module 410, a BLUETOOTH module 412and a controller 414. The same numerals in FIG. 13 represent similarelements of FIG. 4 without departing from the spirit of the invention,references of the WLAN module 410, BLUETOOTH module 412, switchingdevice 404 and controller 414 may be made to the descriptions of FIG. 4for brevity. A switching device 418 is configured to connect a terminal130 to a terminal 132 or 134 as controlled by the controller 414, andmay be implemented by an SPDT switch. The directional coupler 420consists of four ports 136, 138, 140 and 142 which are connected toterminals 52, BT_TRx, 130 and 54 respectively, thereby enabling theterminals 54 and BT_TRx to be connected via a first through path,terminals 52 and 130 to be connected via a second through path, BT_TRxand 130 to be isolated (with substantially 20 dB of isolation or more),terminal 54 and 52 to be isolated (with substantially 20 dB of isolationor more), terminals BT_TRx and 52 to be coupled as a first coupled pathand terminals 130 and 54 to be coupled as a second coupled path, whereinthe first and second through paths are direct or indirect through paths.The switching devices 404 and 418, directional coupler 420, WLAN module410, BLUETOOTH module 412 and controller 414 may be disposed on a PCB.Note the first and second through paths may have a loss of 0.5 dBsubstantially, whereas the first and second coupled paths may have aloss of 10 dB substantially, or the first and second through paths mayhave a loss of 1 dB substantially, whereas the first and second coupledpaths may have a loss of 6 dB substantially.

Referring to FIG. 14A, by using two transmission lines set sufficientlyclose together, electrical signals (or energy) directed from theterminal BT_TRx (connected to the port 138 called an input port) toterminal 54 (connected to the port 142 called a transmitted port) iscoupled to the terminal 52 (connected to the port 136 called a coupledport) and is isolated from the terminal 130 (connected to the port 140called an isolated port), such that the coupled signals can be added toelectrical signals passing through the terminals 130 to 52. Referring toFIG. 14B, by using two transmission lines set sufficiently closetogether, electrical signals directed from the terminals 54 (connectedto the port 142 called an input port) to terminal BT_TRx (connected tothe port 138 called a transmitted port) is coupled to the terminal 130(connected to the port 140 called a coupled port) and isolated from theterminal 52 (connected to the port 136 called an isolated port), suchthat the coupled signals can be added to electrical signals passingthrough the terminals 52 to 130. Referring to FIG. 14C, similarly,electrical signals directed from terminals 130 to 52 is coupled to theterminal 54 and can be added to electrical signals passing through theterminals BT_TRx to 54. Referring to FIG. 14D, similarly, electricalsignals passing through the terminals 52 to 130 is coupled the terminalBT_TRx and can be added to electrical signals passing through theterminals 54 to BT_TRx.

Table 3 shows a combination of potential operations performed by theWLAN module 410 and the BLUETOOTH module 412, according to the system1300 in FIG. 13:

TABLE 3 Operation Type Signal Strength BT_Tx/ Attenuation For Case TypeWLAN_Tx WLAN_Rx BT_Rx WLAN or BT Case 1 0 0 0 None Case 2 0 0 1 NoneCase 3 0 1 0 None Case 4A 0 1 1 WLAN Case 4B BT Case 5 1 0 0 None Case6A 1 0 1 WLAN Case 6B BT Case 7 1 1 0 None Case 8 1 1 1 None

In Table 3 above, the case 1 is not discussed as no operation exists.The cases 7 and 8, where the WLAN module 410 performs Tx and Rxoperations simultaneously, is not permitted in the system 1300 andtherefore not discussed. The other cases will be discussed withreferences made to the flowcharts in FIGS. 15A˜15C.

According to the hardware architecture shown in FIG. 13, those skilledin the art may readily modify the control flow of FIGS. 9A˜9B to that ofFIGS. 15A˜15C by incorporating similar but different inspections andcontrolling methods with respect to the switching devices 404 and 418.In FIGS. 15A˜15C, the procedure begins at obtaining informationregarding all potential operation(s) that is/are going to be performedby the WLAN module 410 and BLUETOOTH module 412 in a forthcoming timeperiod, which has/have been granted or scheduled by the controller 414(step S1500). Next it is determined whether only the BLUETOOTH module412 occupies the time period for a Tx or Rx operation (step S1502). Ifso, the controller 414 directs the switching device 404 to connectterminals 50 and 54 for the time period as shown in FIG. 10A (case 2)(step S1504), thereby enabling the BLUETOOTH Rx signals to be receivedby the BLUETOOTH module 412 from the shared antenna 402 throughterminals 50 and 54, and ports 142 and 138 in sequence, or enabling theBLUETOOTH Tx signals to be transmitted from the BLUETOOTH module 412through ports 138 and 142, and terminals 54 and 50 in sequence to theshared antenna 402. Subsequent to step S1502, if not, it is determinedwhether only the WLAN module 410 occupies the time period for a Txoperation (step S1506). If so, the controller 414 directs the switchingdevice 404 to connect terminals 50 and 52 and directs the switchingdevice 418 to connect terminals 130 and 132 for the time period as shownin FIG. 10B (case 5) (step S1508), thereby enabling the WLAN Tx signalsto be transmitted from the WLAN module 410 through terminals 132 and130, ports 140 and 136, and terminals 52 and 50 in sequence to theshared antenna 402. Subsequent to step S1506, if not, it is determinedwhether only the WLAN module 410 occupies the time period for an Rxoperation (step S1510). If so, the controller 414 directs the switchingdevice 404 to connect terminals 50 and 52 and directs the switchingdevice 418 to connect terminals 130 and 134 for the time period as shownin FIG. 10C (case 3) (step S1512), thereby enabling the WLAN Rx signalsto be received by the WLAN module 410 from the shared antenna 402through terminals 50 and 52, ports 136 and 140, and terminals 130 and134 in sequence. Subsequent to step S1510, if not, it is determinedwhether signal strength from/to the WLAN module 410 exceeds that from/toBLUETOOTH module 412 by a predetermined threshold (step S1514). If thesignal strength of the WLAN module 410 exceeds the signal strength ofthe BLUETOOTH module 412 by the predetermined threshold, it isdetermined whether the WLAN module 410 occupies the time period for a Txor Rx operation (step S1516). If a WLAN Tx operation is performed, thecontroller 414 directs the switching device 404 to connect terminals 50and 54 and directs the switching device 418 to connect terminals 130 and132 for the time period when the time period is occupied by theBLUETOOTH module 412 for an Rx or Tx operation as well as by the WLANmodule 410 for a Tx operation as shown in FIG. 10D (case 6A) (stepS1518), thereby enabling the WLAN Tx signals to be transmitted with acertain level of signal strength attenuation through terminals 132 and130, ports 140 and 142, and terminals 54 and 50 in sequence from theWLAN module 410 to the shared antenna 402, and enabling the BLUETOOTH Txsignals to be transmitted from the BLUETOOTH module 412 through ports138 and 142, and terminals 54 and 50 in sequence to the shared antenna402, or enabling the BLUETOOTH Rx signals to be received by theBLUETOOTH module 412 from the shared antenna 402 through terminals 50and 54, and ports 142 and 138 in sequence. Subsequent to step S1516, ifa WLAN Rx operation is performed, the controller 414 directs theswitching device 404 to connect terminals 50 and 54 and directs theswitching device 418 to connect terminals 130 and 134 for the timeperiod when the time period is occupied by the BLUETOOTH module 412 foran Rx or Tx operation as well as by the WLAN module 410 for an Rxoperation as shown in FIG. 10E (case 4A) (step S1520), thereby enablingthe WLAN Rx signals to be received by the WLAN module 410 with a certainlevel of signal strength attenuation through from the shared antenna 402terminals 50 and 54, ports 142 and 140, and terminals 130 and 134 insequence, and enabling the BLUETOOTH Tx signals to be transmitted fromthe BLUETOOTH module 412 through ports 138 and 142, and terminals 54 and50 in sequence to the shared antenna 402, or enabling the BLUETOOTH Rxsignals to be received by the BLUETOOTH module 412 from the sharedantenna 402 through the terminals 50 and 54, and ports 142 and 138 insequence. Subsequent to step S1514, if signal strength from/to the WLANmodule 410 does not exceed signal strength from/to the BLUETOOTH module412 by the predetermined threshold, it is determined whether the WLANmodule 410 occupies the time period for a Tx or Rx operation (stepS1522). If a WLAN Tx operation is performed, the controller 414 directsthe switching device 404 to connect terminals 50 and 52 and directs theswitching device 418 to connect terminals 130 and 132 for the timeperiod when the time period is occupied by the BLUETOOTH module 412 foran Rx or Tx operation as well as by the WLAN module 410 for a Txoperation as shown in FIG. 10D (case 6B) (step S1524), thereby enablingthe WLAN Tx signals to be transmitted from the WLAN module 410 throughterminals 132 and 130, ports 140 and 136, and terminals 52 and 50 insequence to the shard antenna 402, and enabling the BLUETOOTH Tx signalsto be transmitted with a certain level of signal strength attenuationthrough ports 138, and 136, and terminals 52 and 50 in sequence from theBLUETOOTH module 412 to the shared antenna 402, or enabling theBLUETOOTH Rx signals to be received by the BLUETOOTH module 412 with acertain level of signal strength attenuation through terminals 50 and52, and ports 136 and 138 in sequence from the shared antenna 402.Subsequent to step S1522, if a WLAN Rx operation is performed, thecontroller 414 directs the switching device 404 to connect terminals 50and 52 and directs the switching device 418 to connect terminals 130 and134 for the time period when the time period is occupied by theBLUETOOTH module 412 for an Rx or Tx operation as well as by the WLANmodule 410 for an Rx operation as shown in FIG. 10E (case 4B) (stepS1526), thereby enabling the WLAN Rx signals to be received by the WLANmodule 410 from the shared antenna 402 through terminals 50 and 52,ports 136 and 140, and terminals 130 and 134 in sequence, and enablingthe BLUETOOTH Tx signals to be transmitted with a certain level ofsignal strength attenuation through ports 138 and 136, and terminals 52and 50 in sequence from the BLUETOOTH module 412 to the shared antenna402, or enabling the BLUETOOTH Rx signals to be received with a certainlevel of signal strength attenuation through terminals 50 and 52, andports 136 and 138 in sequence from the shared antenna 402 to theBLUETOOTH module 412.

Note that in the embodiment of FIG. 13, when the operation type of theWLAN module 410 is an Rx operation and the operation type of theBLUETOOTH module 412 is a Tx operation and the Tx power level of theBLUETOOTH module 412 is higher than the Rx power level of the WLANmodule 410 by a certain level, the controller 414 may control theswitching device 404 to connect the terminals 50 and 52 such that theWLAN Rx signal is received via the through path between ports 136 and140, and the BLUETOOTH Tx signal is transmitted via the coupled pathbetween ports 136 and 138 with greater loss. This is to prevent theBLUETOOTH Tx operation from interfering with the WLAN Rx operation.Similarly, when the operation type of the WLAN module 410 is a Txoperation and the operation type of the BLUETOOTH module 412 is an Rxoperation and the Tx power level of the WLAN module 410 is higher thanthe Rx power level of the BLUETOOTH module 412 by a certain level, thecontroller 414 may control the switching device 404 to connect theterminals 50 and 54 such that the WLAN Tx signal is transmitted via thecoupled path between ports 140 and 142 with greater loss, and theBLUETOOTH Rx signal is received via the through path between ports 138and 142.

With the system 1300 of FIG. 13, those skilled in the art may readilymodify the hardware architecture of FIG. 13 to that of FIG. 16 byseparating the integrated port (labeled as BT_TRx of FIG. 13) into twoports (labeled as BT_Tx and BT_Rx of FIG. 16) and disposing a switchingdevice 422 between the directional coupler 420 and the BLUETOOTH module412 for connecting a terminal 160 to a terminal 162 or 164 depending onthe BLUETOOTH operation type (e.g. a BLUETOOTH Tx or Rx operation). Theswitching device 422 may be implemented by an SPDT switch. Thecontroller 414 then controls three switching devices 404, 418 and 422 bycontrol signals (labeled as First_Ctrl, Fourth_Ctrl and Fifth_Ctrl) toenable the WLAN module 410 and BLUETOOTH module 412 to transmit orreceive data via the shared antenna 402.

Table 4 shows a combination of potential operations performed by theWLAN module 410 and the BLUETOOTH module 412, according to the system1600 shown of FIG. 16:

TABLE 4 Operation Type Signal Strength Attenuation For WLAN Case TypeWLAN_Tx WLAN_Rx BT_Tx BT_Rx or BT Case 1 0 0 0 0 None Case 2 0 0 0 1None Case 3 0 0 1 0 None Case 4 0 0 1 1 None Case 5 0 1 0 0 None Case 6A0 1 0 1 WLAN Case 6B BT Case 7A 0 1 1 0 WLAN Case 7B BT Case 8 0 1 1 1None Case 9 1 0 0 0 None Case 10A 1 0 0 1 WLAN Case 10B BT Case 11A 1 01 0 WLAN Case 11B BT Case 12 1 0 1 1 None Case 13 1 1 0 0 None Case 14 11 0 1 None Case 15 1 1 1 0 None Case 16 1 1 1 1 None

In Table 4 above, the case 1 is not discussed, as no operation exists.The cases 13 to 16, where the WLAN module 410 performs Tx and Rxoperations simultaneously, is not permitted in the system 1600 andtherefore not discussed. Based on the same reason, the cases 4, 8 and12, where the BLUETOOTH module 412 performs Tx and Rx operationssimultaneously, are also not discussed. The other cases will bediscussed with references made to the flowcharts in FIGS. 17A˜17E.

According to the hardware architecture shown in FIG. 16, those skilledin the art may readily modify the control flow of FIGS. 15A˜15C to thatof FIGS. 17A˜17E by incorporating similar but different inspections andcontrols with respect to the switching devices 404, 418 and 422. Detailsof the control flow in FIGS. 17A˜17E can be obtained with referencesmade to the descriptions with respect to FIGS. 11 and 13, and aretherefore not described hereinafter for brevity.

The descriptions so far have been made for systems for the coexistencebetween WLAN and BLUETOOTH wireless communication services according toseveral embodiments of the invention. The conception of coexistencebetween wireless communication systems, however, may also apply toWorldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) wirelesscommunication service.

IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) represents a standard for wireless broadband access,and is designed for outdoor, long-range and carrier-class applicationswith high throughput. Referring to FIG. 18, a cellular phone mayassociate a WLAN via a WLAN module and further camp on a WiMAX basestation through a WiMAX module, where a WLAN access point is deployedinside an 802.16 cell. The 802.16 standard supports both licensed andlicense-exempt spectrums, where an 802.16a specifies an operation in the2-10 GHz band, supporting raw bit rates of up to 75 Mb/s with variablechannel bandwidths of 1.5 MHz to 20 MHz. The WiMAX module may useOrthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) mechanism with 20MHz-wide bandwidth. New interference challenges as the new protocoloperates is faced over several frequency bands (defined by ‘profiles” inWiMAX terminology), with the most common being 2.2-2.4 GHz and 2.5-2.7GHz. The frequency separation, although greater than that betweenBLUETOOTH and WiFi, is still not enough to prevent coexistence problems.Typically, the interference can be solved by separating WiMAX and WLANtransceiving operations into different time slots. That is, the singleantenna can be occupied by only one of the WiMAX and WLAN modules withina time period for a transmission or a receiving operation (Tx or Rx). Byusing the time division mechanism, however, maintaining high qualityspeech or data transmission for a WiMAX wireless communication servicewould result in limited data throughput for a WLAN wirelesscommunication service, and vice versa.

FIG. 19 shows a system for coexistence between a WLAN module and a WiMAXmodule sharing a single antenna according to an embodiment of theinvention, which is modified according to the architecture of FIG. 11.The controller 414 may operate as a PTA controller or a trafficscheduler as mentioned above, and control the switching devices 404, 406and 416 by control signals (labeled as First_Ctrl, Second_Ctrl andThird_Ctrl) to enable the WLAN module 410 and WiMAX module 424 totransmit or receive data via the shared antenna 402 based on the PTA orscheduled results. In addition, a filter 426 is coupled betweenterminals 74 and 62, and filters out unwanted frequencies, allowing onlythe WLAN frequency range (band of frequencies) to reach the output side.In general, the WALN frequency band is 2.4 to 2.5 GHz. The filter 426may be a bandpass filter. A filter 428 is coupled between terminals 72and 110, allowing all frequency bands other than the WLAN frequency bandto reach the output side. The filter 428 may be a notch filter.

Without departing from the spirit of the invention, an embodiment of amethod for handling coexistence between a WLAN module 410 and a WiMAXmodule 424 performed by the controller 414 can be devised with relevantmodifications according to the architecture of FIG. 19 and theflowcharts of FIGS. 12A˜12C.

In addition, FIG. 20 shows another embodiment of a system forcoexistence between a WLAN module and a WiMAX module sharing a singleantenna, which is modified according to the architecture of FIG. 16. Thecontroller 414 may operate as a PTA controller or a traffic scheduler asmentioned above, and control the switching devices 404, 418 and 422 bycontrol signals (labeled as First_Ctrl, Fourth_Ctrl and Fifth_Ctrl) toenable the WLAN module 410 and WiMAX module 424 to transmit or receivedata via the shared antenna 402 based on the PTA or scheduled results.In addition, the filter 426 is coupled between the port 140 of thedirectional coupler 420 and the terminal 130, and the filter 428 iscoupled between the port 138 of the directional coupler 420 and theterminal 160.

Without departing from the spirit of the invention, an embodiment of amethod for handling coexistence between a WLAN module and a WiMAX moduleperformed by the controller can be devised with relevant modificationsaccording to the architecture of FIG. 20 and the control flow of FIGS.17A˜17E.

Similarly, when a WiMAX transmission occurs on a frequency that fallswithin the frequency space occupied by an ongoing BLUETOOTHtransmission, a certain level of interference may occur, depending onthe signal strength thereof. Because both the BLUETOOTH module 412 andWiMAX module 424 share the same spectrum and share a single antenna,avoiding interference therebetween is required. Typically, theinterference can be solved by separating WiMAX and BLUETOOTHtransceiving operations into different time slots. That is, the singleantenna can be occupied by only one of the WiMAX and BLUETOOTH moduleswithin a time period for a transmission or a receiving operation. Byusing the time division mechanism, however, maintaining high qualityspeech or data transmission for a PAN would result in limited datathroughput for a WiMAX wireless communication service, and vice versa.

FIG. 21 shows another embodiment of a system for coexistence between aBLUETOOTH module and a WiMAX module sharing a single antenna, which ismodified according to the architecture of FIG. 11. The controller 414may operate as a PTA controller or a traffic scheduler as mentionedabove, and control the switching devices 404, 406 and 422 by controlsignals (labeled as First_Ctrl, Second_Ctrl and Third_Ctrl) to enablethe BLUETOOTH module 412 and WiMAX module 424 to transmit or receivedata via the shared antenna 402 based on the PTA or scheduled results.In addition, a filter 430 is coupled between terminals 72 and 160, andfilters out unwanted frequencies, allowing only the BLUETOOTH frequencyrange (band of frequencies) to reach the output side. Similar to theWALN frequency band, the BLUETOOTH frequency band is 2.4 to 2.5 GHz. Thefilter 430 may be a bandpass filter. A filter 432 is coupled betweenterminals 74 and 62, allowing all frequency bands other than theBLUETOOTH frequency band to reach the output side. The filter 432 may bea notch filter.

Without departing from the spirit of the invention, an embodiment of amethod for handling coexistence between BLUETOOTH module 412 and WiMAXmodule 424 performed by the controller 414 can be devised with relevantmodifications according to the architecture of FIG. 21 and the controlflow of FIGS. 12A˜12C.

FIG. 22 shows another embodiment of a system for coexistence between aBLUETOOTH module and a WiMAX module sharing a single antenna, which ismodified according to the architecture of FIG. 16. The controller 414may operate as a PTA controller or a traffic scheduler as mentionedabove, and control the switching devices 404, 416 and 422 by controlsignals (labeled as First_Ctrl, Fourth_Ctrl and Fifth_Ctrl) to enablethe BLUETOOTH module 412 and WiMAX module 424 to transmit or receivedata via the shared antenna 402 based on the PTA or scheduled results.In addition, the filter 432 is coupled between the port 140 of thedirectional coupler 420 and the terminal 130, and the filter 430 iscoupled between the port 138 of the directional coupler 420 and theterminal 160.

Without departing from the spirit of the invention, an embodiment of amethod for handling coexistence between BLUETOOTH module 412 and WiMAXmodule 424 performed by the controller can be devised with relevantmodifications according to the architecture of FIG. 22 and the controlflow of FIGS. 17A-17E.

In addition, the conception of coexistence between wirelesscommunication systems may also apply to long term evolution (LTE)wireless communication service.

Referring to FIG. 18, a cellular phone may also associate a WLAN via aWLAN module and further camp on a LTE base station through a LTE module,where a WLAN access point is deployed inside a cell. In this embodiment,the WLAN module is based on the IEEE 802.11ah, IEEE 802.11af standards,and so on.

FIG. 24 shows a system for coexistence between a WLAN module and a LTEmodule sharing a single antenna according to an embodiment of theinvention, which is modified according to the architecture of FIG. 11.The controller 414 may operate as a PTA controller or a trafficscheduler as mentioned above, and control the switching devices 404, 406and 416 by control signals (labeled as First_Ctrl, Second_Ctrl andThird_Ctrl) to enable the WLAN module 410 and LTE module 440 to transmitand receive data via the shared antenna 402 based on the PTA orscheduled results. In addition, a filter 426 is coupled betweenterminals 74 and 62, and filters out unwanted frequencies, allowing onlythe WLAN frequency range (band of frequencies) to reach the output side.In general, the WALN frequency band is 2.4 to 2.5 GHz. The filter 426may be a bandpass filter. A filter 428 is coupled between terminals 72and 110, allowing all frequency bands other than the WLAN frequency bandto reach the output side. The filter 428 may be a notch filter.

Without departing from the spirit of the invention, an embodiment of amethod for handling coexistence between a WLAN module 410 and a LTEmodule 440 performed by the controller 414 can be devised with relevantmodifications according to the architecture of FIG. 24 and the flowchartof FIGS. 12A-12C.

In addition, FIG. 25 shows another embodiment of a system forcoexistence between a WLAN module and a LTE module sharing a singleantenna, which is modified according to the architecture of FIG. 16. Thecontroller 414 may operate as a PTA controller or a traffic scheduler asmentioned above, and control the switching devices 404, 418 and 422 bycontrol signals (labeled as First_Ctrl, Fourth_Ctrl and Fifth_Ctrl) toenable the WLAN module 410 and LTE module 440 to transmit and receivedata via the shared antenna 402 based on the PTA or scheduled results.In addition, the filter 426 is coupled between the port 140 of thedirectional coupler 420 and the terminal 130, and the filter 428 iscoupled between the port 138 of the directional coupler 420 and theterminal 160.

Without departing from the spirit of the invention, an embodiment of amethod for handling coexistence between a WLAN module and a LTE moduleperformed by the controller can be devised with relevant modificationsaccording to the architecture of FIG. 25 and the control flow of FIGS.17A˜17E.

FIG. 23 shows another embodiment of a system for coexistence between aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) and a subsystem sharing a singleantenna, with the subsystem being any one of the systems 400, 1100,1300, 1600, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2400 and 2500 excluding the antenna402. The system 2300 comprises an antenna 402, a diplexer 434, a GPSmodule and a subsystem 438. The diplexer 434 is configured to connect aterminal 230 to both terminals 232 and 234 such that the GPS signals (Txor Rx signal) are transmitted to/received from the shared antenna 402via the diplexer 434, and the wireless signals of the subsystem 438 (Txor Rx signal) are simultaneously transmitted to/received from the sharedantenna 402 via the diplexer 434.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms ofthe preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it isintended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (aswould be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope ofthe appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so asto encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for the coexistence between a pluralityof wireless communication modules sharing a single antenna, comprising:a first transceiving path coupled to an antenna; a second transceivingpath coupled to the first transceiving path; a first wirelesscommunications module coupled to the first transceiving path andtransmitting or receiving a plurality of first wireless signals via thefirst transceiving path; and a second wireless communications modulecoupled to the second transceiving path and capable of transmitting andreceiving a plurality of second wireless signals via the first and thesecond transceiving paths, wherein signal strengths of the secondwireless signals passing through the second transceiving path areattenuated by a certain level, and the attenuated second wirelesssignals are added to the first wireless signals when passing through thefirst transceiving path, wherein one of the first wirelesscommunications module and the second communications module is a LTEmodule and the other one of the first wireless communications module andthe second communications module is a WLAN module.
 2. The system asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the WLAN module is based on IEEE 802.11ah orIEEE 802.11af.